OUR AWESOME PLANET

The Starbucks Planner

I can still remember our excitement in the office when Starbucks first opened its first cafe in 6750 building. Some of our meetings then are held in Starbucks so that you are seen as cool. We feel so happy to have our Starbucks coffee every morning. A P100+ Starbucks coffee was a big deal at that time and there was a debate on why you should pay for that price. I realized that Starbucks 6750 opened 10 years ago, December 4, 1997. Happy 10th Year Anniversary to Starbucks!

For the first time, I will be raving about their 2008 Starbucks planner. They have been doing this for 5 years now and this is the only planner that appealed to us. The leather cover was more than enough for me to ignore the marketing messages embedded into the planner. It is similar in feel to the moleskin notebook that I use. In our office, it is cool to have one of these planners and the race for these planners started last November 6, 2007.

After 24 cups of coffee (12 Christmas blend + 12 usual flavors), you will get this 2008 Starbucks Planner. You can collect the stickers until January 15, 2008. For each redeemed planner, Starbucks will make a donation to Project Sparkhope, a joint program with UNICEF Philippines providing early learning facilities for pre-school children in remote barangays all over the Philippines.

The Ultimate Kapampangan Show-Off!

The ULTIMATE Kapampangan Show-off!
Saturday December 15, 2007 | 7:30 am - 12:00 mn| Tour cost P4,500 (all in plus surprises)

The Tour Summary
"Well, not quite Manila but still close.... Journey to the Northern heartland as we immerse ourselves in things Kapampangan! From Baroque to Betute, its fun-filled day as we poke around and get intimate with the very best of Pampanga's cultural offerings. We'll gawk at the jewel-box of church in Betis while wading through the half-buried town of Bacolor. We'll stuff ourselves silly with the best Kapampangan fare by one of the country's best known Pampango chefs! To it cap-off, we'll have front-row view of the most dazzling display of Kapmpangan artistry- the Parul Festival of San Fernando! A tour screming with Pampango pride!"

The Tour Experience
* Betis Church* Town of Bacolor*Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung Restaurant* Pampanga Specilaty Shops* Ligligan Parul Festival in San Fernando
  
This tour is brought to you by Our Awesome Planet, Ivan About Town, Manila Boy and Old Manila Walks . This will be the best Pampanga tour experience by people who love Pampanga!

To reserve for this tour, please pay P4,500 before December 10, 2007. Email me anton@diaz.ph on payment arrangement.

Finally, we have taken the first bold step to launch our first awesome tour. We plan to redefine the way tours are done in Manila and elevate them to world class standards. It is a bold statement I know, but the Filipinos can do it and we can show the world the beauty of the Philippines. Our vision is to provide hassle-free worry-free all-in-cost tours to all the awesome places in the Philippines starting with Pampanga. We are hoping that we create unique experiences that each participant of our tours will never forget.

We also intend to post all free information if you want to do the tour on your own. We will be launching OnePhilippines.com (soon!) to be the one stop shop for all travel information for Filipinos who would like to travel. We are looking for sponsors, investors, or contributors for this project if you are interested.

Intentionally, we did not put all the details of the tour because we want to provide a lot of surprise element into it. I personally have been to Pampanga more than 10 times and I’ve learned how to organize an awesome tour. Spanky, Ivan M, Ivan H and me have been brainstorming about how we can create an experience people will never forget. We are going back to Pampanga this Sunday to do more research, to do a travel time study, and to brainstorm further on how we can make this worth more than P 4,500 J

I am personally excited and we target to have 20 people and we have confirmed bookings of more than 10 already. Thanks for having faith in us and let's have fun on Dec. 15!

P.S. Here is a sneak peak on what you would see in the tour...

Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung - The Best Kapampangan Restaurant in Pampanga

Updated 1/12/2011.

My love affair with Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung (House of Wood in Kapampangan) started last March when 22 foodies decided to bravely go where none of us have gone before. I was speechless. I was not able to complete my blog post on Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung last March 20, 2007 because of the overwhelming emotions that I don't know where to start.

It is like a dream come true experience where you relive the experience in your head and rave about it to yourself. I felt writing about it will not bring justice to the experience because I would only write – Awesome food! Awesome hosts! Awesome ambiance! I was contented with reading the food trip account of Wysgal (Rants and Raves), Mila (Watergirl), Spanx (Manila Boy), Nena (Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul), Anne (Eat Bangus) and Joey (80 Breakfasts).

Six (6) months after that experience, my brother, Lorenz and wife, Carmina, who got married just last October, requested me to organize a Pampanga Tour with Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung as the highlight of the trip. How could I refuse?

We were lucky to get a booking at Claude’s on the last minute because you would need advanced reservations. He usually only accept one booking per month and you need to be at least 10 because Claude and wife, Mary Anne will be your personal hosts for the 4-hour lazy weekend lunch.

People often ask me on the direction of the place. You would have to drive all the way to Pampanga via North Expressway, exit San Fernando Pampanga, find your way to the Ayala Alabang of Angeles City-- which is Villa Gloria Subdivision and find your way to Claude Tayag’s house. From the outside, Bale Dutung looks an ordinary corner lot that spans a few blocks.

As you enter, it looks like an old place full of antiques where in fact, it was built only in 1998 – 80% of which came from junk of old churches, bowling alleys, and old wood furniture. Claude and Maryann emerged from their personal room on the second floor and greets you with a smile, “Welcome to Bale Dutung!”